A Challenge to the Non Partisan System

The non-partisan system for the election of school board members in Scarsdale and Edgemont is now being challenged. In both districts, independent candidates who did not receive the committees nomination are vying for a seat on the district school board.

In Scarsdale, the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) has been selecting candidates to run for the school board since 1965 and in recent memory no candidates have run without the committee endorsement, In Scarsdale, the SBNC members are elected by residents of each of the five elementary school areas and serve for three years on the committee, followed by tenure on the administrative committee. Six representatives from each of the five areas are elected by the general population, for a total of thirty voting members. Four non-voting members, the chair and vice chair and representatives from SNAP and the TVCC are also on the committee.

In Edgemont, two representatives from each civic association are nominated to serve on the committee. The SBNC nominates candidates to serve on the Board, but sometimes independents do petition to go on the ballot and recently one ran and won. After the candidates are nominated, the Edgemont SBNC runs an Open Forum where each candidate is asked questions submitted by the community to allow residents to learn about the candidates, their qualifications and views.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the current system?

Among the benefits are the following:

• The SBNC seeks out candidates for school board and reaches out to a wide swath of the community to find suitable candidates.

• The committee vets the candidates, reviews credentials, checks references and assesses their ability to work with others and build consensus. In Scarsdale, any comments made about a candidate must be attributable to the source, preventing hearsay. In Edgemont, where the committee is smaller, this is not the case.

• The committee considers the composition of the current board of education and selects candidates that offer needed skill sets. They strive to nominate a balanced board.

• Since meetings are private, candidates are shielded from public review and commentary. It is believed that more residents are willing to put themselves forward for candidacy since they are shielded from the strain of an open election.

• The committee seeks to prevent candidates with an agenda or single issue from being nominated and looks for those that are open-minded and can balance the needs of the entire community.

• The committee works to nominate a collegial board that can work together effectively.

• The non-partisan system has diffused heated elections and divisiveness as in the past only one slate of candidates is presented for election

• The system avoids expensive campaigns

What are the disadvantages?

• The SBNC may choose not to put forward a candidate who advocates for a single issue, which may inhibit diversity of opinion on the board

• It may deter individuals who are not selected by the committee from running though they have the right to do so

• The system discourages open debate about candidates’ qualifications as committee meetings are not open to the public

• Since only one slate of candidates is proposed, the community is not given a choice in the voting booth

• As residents vote for SBNC members, not the school board candidates the selection of the candidates is somewhat indirect, similar to the Electoral College system.

• The SBNC administrative committee often has trouble finding residents to run to serve on the nominating committee and therefore, some of the seats may not be contested.

Until now, the system has served both communities. All indicators show that the school boards have worked effectively with administrators, parents and students to provide an exemplary education. The Districts receive nationally acclaim, parents seek to move to the area and year after year students are admitted to top colleges.

With strained financial resources and cuts in state aid, school budgets are now under intense scrutiny. As the school board is responsible for fiscal decisions, and the budget is under the magnifying glass, members of the board are being closely examined as well.

Residents feel strongly about the process. In the words of the membership of the Edgemont SBNC, “The Board of Education is a crucial link in the chain of teachers, programs, administrators, staff and dedicated parents that support our School District, and the mission of the SBNC is to select from among qualified candidates those individuals who, in the Committee’s judgment, can best serve the School District’s needs. Edgemont’s SBNC is made up of volunteers nominated and elected by members from each of the civic associations as well as a high school representative. The SBNC is charged with interviewing and endorsing candidates for the School Board. As SBNC members we are required to attend School Board meetings and to be informed about school matters so that we can conduct a thorough interview and make an informed recommendation about a candidate. It is a time consuming process, but one that has served our community well by providing an intensive vetting process for selecting School Board candidate.”

What do you think? Does the current system serve the community in tough times? Please add your comments below.